Straps and Strap Locks

[gitapik]

Hey,

I've got an ASAT Classic from 2011 (see my profile shot). It's a great ax. Blows me away, actually.

I've also got a '57 Strat AVRI and a '69 Les Paul Deluxe. They, too, rock the holy house.

I had both of the latter guitars before the ASAT and got used to the angle at which they hang when I have them strapped up and standing.

The ASAT's neck seems to tilt more towards the ground than the other two.

Is this a known feature? It's not a game changer. I'm very adaptable and have been doing well with it. But I'm wondering if there's any way to make it tilt a little more upward ('cuse me, while I kiss the sky). I like that angle more.

I'm also considering strap locks. I've never used them. I know Schaller and others are supposed to be great. Just curious about any of your impressions. I'd love to have a means of using the same strap on my G&L as my Les Paul...but the pins on the G&L are so big it seems kind of odd to get a strap lock system. Maybe I could get G&L pins and put them on my LP?

[Fumble fingers]

I'm not a ASAT expert like some on here but I've owned 5 and currently have 4 , two want to sit level and two will sit with the neck up , all my strat type sit up ..... the two ASAt that sit up are both over 9 lbs and neither have locking tuners .... the other two that sit level ( one 6.5 lbs the other close to 10 pounds) both have locking tuners , not sure that if that's the reason but it is a little extra weight on the end of the headstock


I use the schaller locks on all my guitars with no issues

[glvourot]

I don't use strap locks on my G&L guitars oweing to the best strap buttons in the business. I was going to use them on my SG until I was told about the Grolsh beer solution.The rubber washer ( gasket ? ) on the four pack glass bottles of Grolsh beer make excellent strap locks and you get to drink some lovely beer. One of the guys at a local guitar shop told me about it. Old news I guess but they work great.

[trem]

I have Schallers on all my guitars and use the same strap. That, combined with a wireless hooked to the strap, and I can switch guitars mid-song within 3-6 measures (depending on tempo). It was the first thing I changed on my G&L.

[catawompus]

My three ASATs hang perfectly right. I use beer washers (Swiss variety, local excellent beer ) for locks too, they do the trick just fine.

[NickHorne]

Must agree that the G&L stock buttons are very dependable.
I just use various wide-ish Levys with suede inners for everything, and they all just stay where I put them, all different weights, tuners etc. I have no problems. Leather inners are hopeless, skiddy and not in control. And plastic is useless for me, including the seatbelt stuff, on any guitar or bass.

[tbonesullivan]

I guess I'm a bit against the grain here. I have straplocks on every guitar and bass I own. I think they should be standard equipment. Hamer guitars/basses used dunlop dual-design straplock buttons as their standard equipment for decades (before FMIC liquidated them). My guitars are an investment, and i want them to not fall onto the ground. ever.

[The Vault Dweller]

I used to use those Schaller strap locks with the little nub thing but it's hard to place the guitar down with that sticking out the bottom. G&Ls don't seem to need strap locks, unless you're planning on throwing it around your head like a tool. The beer washers mentioned above work perfectly, Fender sells their own version of those if you can't find the Grolsch bottles.

[gitapik]

I'm in an interesting place with all of this.

i got a beautiful strap from Bob at Brookwood Leather. Not cheap but it's well worth the money. It's functionally amazing and it looks great.

He fits the holes according to the size of the peg. He'll also make them with a hole measured for a specific strap lock design if that's where you're at. i've never used strap locks, so I went with standard holes for my light Strat.

i love the strap so much that I decided to get the money together for another that would fit both my ASAT Classic and '69 LP. Bob had told me that the leather's too thick for strap locks if you get the standard hole setup. He recesses and compresses the leather in that area if you want locks. So I ordered another set of G&L pegs to put on the LP. Make it so I could switch between the two guitars, using a secure peg (the Gibby one is even smaller than the Strats').

So yesterday I was playing the LP using the Strat's strap (I've still got the original small pegs on the LP) . No shoulder or back problems at all after more than an hour of playing. Then I switched to the G&L (being careful about putting the strap on it. The pegs are bigger). After 15-20 minutes my shoulder was knotting up. I switched back to the LP and all was well after about 5 minutes.

That neck dive (not like an SG but it's definitely more parallel to the ground than my Strat and LP) puts an additional strain on the shoulder that I don't get with my other guitars. It's a problem because I love the sound and action on this ASAT but if I can't wear it standing, I'm going to have to give it up.

I used to use those Schaller strap locks with the little nub thing but it's hard to place the guitar down with that sticking out the bottom. G&Ls don't seem to need strap locks, unless you're planning on throwing it around your head like a tool. The beer washers mentioned above work perfectly, Fender sells their own version of those if you can't find the Grolsch bottles.

The Grolsch washers work well with a thinner leather strap, but the one I've got is thick to the point of it being flush to the end of the peg. They work great with my other straps on my Strat and LP pegs but don't seem to have the same stretch to get over the G&L pegs. Do they just require some extra TLC to get that happening?

What I'm going to do is get my tech to take a look at the ASAT. I'll be real happy if it can be fixed. Otherwise I'll have to sell it. Regardless of whether I do that or not, I'll be putting the G&L pegs on the LP.

As a side note: I brought the strap to my tech and we found that, even with the extra thickness of the leather, he could fit a Dunlop Dual-Lock on it. A little tight but no problem (I really pressed him on that…don't want problems down the road). I was happy about this. Now I've got two options if I decide the standard holes aren't safe enough for my heavier guitar(s): The Dual-Lock and the LOXX XL (extra long). I'm hoping this doesn't prove necessary, though. I've been playing without locks for 40+ years and don't really feel like making a change at this point.